Victor hugo mathushek



(No Model.)

V. H. MATHUSHEK.

SOUNDING BOARD FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.

No. 534,900. Patented Feb. 26,1895.

-Z Q --,z

Jaye. J flll I1 f% E11 T2 @1 w 1 E1 c WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

. l iciaifi aflaZ/zwkefii. a. Z 7% 9 6 ATTOR N EYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR HUGO MATl-IUSHEK, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

SOUNDING-BOARD FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 534,900, dated February26, 1895.

Application filed October 25,1894. Serial No. 526,949. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Vrcron HUGO MATHU- SHEK, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Sounding-Boards for StringedInstruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in piano sounding boardsas pointed out in the following specification and claim and illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan viewofasoundingboard. Fig. 2 is a section along a; a: Fig. 1.

It is a well known fact that piano sounding boards constructed of woodare aifected by changes in weather and temperature, while the stringsbeing of metal or steel are affected at times to a different extent bysuch changes, thus giving rise to disturbances disadvanta geouslyaffecting the tone or musical quality of the instrument. By making mysounding board of metal, such as steel, copper, composition metal or thelike, such disturbances can be obviated. The strings for example beingmade of steel, and the sounding board of steel homogeneous with thestring steel, it is manifest that atmospheric changes to which theinstrument is exposed must affect the strings and the sounding board toan equal degree, so that the strings and the board remain at rest orunaffected relatively to one another.

The sounding board A composed of a suitably thin sheet or sheets ofmetal, being provided with a bridge or bridges B will support thestrings as well known. Ribs C may be employed as well known, but if theboard A is composed of a suitable metal sheet possessing the requiredstrength, and vibratory quality, the ribs may be omitted.

The metallic sounding board will be left free to expand and contract bybeing secured to its support along one edge by slot and pin connectionsD E.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

As a new article of manufacture, a piano sounding board made of metaland rigidly secured at one edge and movably secured along its other edgeby pins loosely passed through elongated slots in the sounding board,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

VICTOR HUGO MATHUSHEK.

Witnesses:

WM. 0. HAUEE, E. F. KASTENHUBER.

